きんきん (kinkin) has two main jobs in everyday Japanese. It describes a shrill, high-pitched sound or voice that rings sharply in your ears, and, in the pattern きんきんに冷えた, a drink or food that has been chilled until it is ice-cold. This page shows both uses, a third dictionary meaning, and two look-alike words that learners often mix up with it.
Meaning 1: A Shrill, High-Pitched Sound or Voice
For sounds, きんきん describes a voice or noise that is high-pitched and rings sharply in the ears. Dictionaries describe it as a piercing, high sound, often with a metallic edge. It is about pitch and sharpness, not loudness alone.
- きんきんした声: a shrill voice, as in きんきんした子供の声 (a child's shrill voice).
- きんきん(と)響く: to ring out shrilly, for example a metallic sound ringing in your ears.
Because the sound rings sharply in the ears, this use often suggests a voice or noise that is a little uncomfortable to listen to.
Meaning 2: Chilled Until It Is Ice-Cold
In the pattern きんきんに冷える / きんきんに冷やす, it means something has been chilled thoroughly. Dictionaries give the example of beer chilled in the refrigerator.
- きんきんに冷えたビール: beer that is ice-cold.
- 冷蔵庫できんきんに冷やす: to chill something in the fridge until it is really cold.
Notice that this use describes how cold a thing has become, such as a drink. Dictionaries do not list cold weather or a cold wind under this meaning; for those, plain words such as 寒い (cold) or 冷たい風 (a cold wind) are the safer choice.
A Third Meaning: Stretched Hard and Tight
Dictionaries also list きんきん for something that is stretched or frozen hard and tight, with the example きんきんに張った池の氷 (pond ice frozen hard). 精選版 日本国語大辞典 also quotes a 1928 novel in which breathing cold air makes the nostrils go きんきん. This meaning helps explain why きんきん can appear in descriptions of very cold scenes in fiction, even though its everyday cold meaning is about chilled drinks.
Don't Mix It Up: きんきん, キーン, and ぎんぎん
- きんきん: a shrill, high-pitched sound, or something chilled ice-cold.
- キーン (kiin): a high-frequency sound, and also the sudden headache you get from eating or drinking something cold too fast, as in 頭がキーンとする. For an "ice cream headache," this is the word to use.
- ぎんぎん (gingin): a pounding headache, as in 二日酔いで頭がぎんぎんする (my head is pounding from a hangover).
Tip: Match the word to what you are describing.
A sharp, high voice or an ice-cold drink: きんきん. A brain freeze from shaved ice: キーン. A heavy, pounding headache: ぎんぎん.
Practice きんきん (kinkin) with Audio
Play the audio and listen to how the examples sound in Japanese.
Japanese: きんきんという金属音が耳に響いた。
English: The high-pitched metallic sound echoed in my ears.
Japanese: 冷蔵庫できんきんに冷やしたビールで乾杯した。
English: We made a toast with beer we had chilled ice-cold in the fridge.
A Common Learner Mistake with きんきん (kinkin)
Mistake: Using きんきん for every kind of cold or every loud sound.
きんきんに冷えた fits a drink or food that has been chilled. For a brain freeze, use 頭がキーンとする. For a sound, きんきん needs a shrill, high pitch; a deep, loud noise is not きんきん.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can きんきん be used for any loud sound?
No. It describes sounds that are high-pitched and piercing, such as a shrill voice or a metallic ring. Loudness alone is not enough.
Should I write きんきん or キンキン?
Both spellings appear. Dictionaries list the word in hiragana, and katakana キンキン also appears, for example in キンキンに冷えたビール.
Is きんきん used for cold weather?
Its dictionary cold meaning is about something chilled thoroughly, like a drink. For cold weather, simple words such as 寒い are the safer choice.
Sources: デジタル大辞泉 and 精選版 日本国語大辞典 on Kotobank (きんきん, ぎんぎん); デジタル大辞泉 on Weblio (きいん / キーン).